Fewer households, businesses will get high-speed internet under revamped federal plan

[Omaha Steve]

https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2025/09/22/repub/fewer-households-businesses-will-get-high-speed-internet-under-revamped-federal-plan/

LEFT HAND, W. Va. — The residents of Roane County, West Virginia, enjoy living among the rolling mountains and winding, two-lane roads. Situated between Charleston and Parkersburg, two of the state’s largest cities, the rural county is known for its small towns and historic buildings.

That’s how Sherry Husted, the director of the Roane County Public Libraries, described her native community as she worked last week at Geary Public Library in Left Hand, West Virginia. Each of the county’s three library branches has at least three public computers and free internet access, among other services.

These services are essential to residents living in Roane — where less than 32% of the county’s households, businesses and community buildings — have reliable internet connectivity, according to the Federal Communications Commission’s National Broadband Map.

“We love our rural area,” Husted said. “But there’s always the catch. You love your rural area, but then access to things is always more limited there.”

FULL story at link above.

[chouchou]

1. I wonder if the Data-Cooperations want that bandwidth.

My husband's friend (Microsoft engineer) was talking to my husband and said something like:..
Some of the big-boys use so much data power that I keep thinking the rural people might be the first one to get the..ah..shaft?
I know little about what he was talking about but was interesting.

[hunter]

2. The turf wars between the giant internet service providers are leaving many people unserved.

Local governments are not powerful enough to intervene and many state governments are beholden to the giant telecoms and unwilling to interfere with their business as usual.

My sister and my father-in-law each live in very rural areas that now have better internet service than I can get in my city. Previously they had nothing but telephone infrastructure dating back to FDR's New Deal.

What they both have in common was very wealthy, very politically connected neighbors up the road who demanded high speed internet at their hobby ranches and were able to push it through.

In a true democracy we shouldn't have to depend upon wealthy people to get such obviously beneficial projects done.

[Tree Lady]

3. Yes and hospitals and doctors gone to

From rural areas. What did they think would happen? That he would give it to the few and not the cities?